"You worry to much about your Diabetes"

[gail2]

Is what a certain person told me. Ok I watch what I eat I carb/cal count keep a notebook with sugar levels/what I eat and am treating myself to a machine so that I can see how certain foods affect me and check my levels 2 hours after food. Is this to much I have tight control over my levels and my weight lose. My insulin has been cut down to 56 units a day. How much better than the days when I was on 110 units a day day and my range was 15-25. I dont think thats going overboard do you?

 

[Leadinglights]

Is what a certain person told me. Ok I watch what I eat I carb/cal count keep a notebook with sugar levels/what I eat and am treating myself to a machine so that I can see how certain foods affect me and check my levels 2 hours after food. Is this to much I have tight control over my levels and my weight lose. My insulin has been cut down to 56 units a day. How much better than the days when I was on 110 units a day day and my range was 15-25. I dont think thats going overboard do you?

In principal no but the checking 2 hours after food usually refers to people who are dietary managed or diet and oral meds rather than for people taking insulin.
The profile of how insulin works may distort what you want to be looking at and the criteria is to see in your level has returned to the before meal level by the next meal. Unless of course you feel unwell when you might want to test.

 

[Ieva DUK]

I think all that matters is that what you're doing helps you. Keeping track of things helps you notice any changes in your levels and what they might have been caused by. You're making improvements, adjustments and at the end of the day, if it gives you peace of mind - I think that that's the most important.

 

[gail2]

Thank mosts guys that helps me a lot thing is that person is diabetic themselves and does not treat them well Thats what upset me

 

[Ieva DUK]

Ah, people are quick to compare their experiences to those of others. You're managing it well though, so you know it works for you. There's nothing wrong with giving warranted advice where people are open to listen and are asking, however saying someone 'worries too much' when speaking about what you've described as reasonable precautions is not ok. To each their own, so don't worry too much ( 😉 ) about such comments

 

[Sally71]

I get that all the time from my mum, who has been T1 since before I was born. When my daughter was diagnosed, I explained to her how the pump works because I thought she was interested, but all we get is “you’re testing too often” and “puddings should be banned” and “you’re saying the only reason her HbA1c is better than mine is because she uses more insulin?” (That last one said in a very accusatory tone as if it’s somehow wrong.) Etc etc. I’ve tried dropping heavy hints that we’ve been taught a different way from her and we’re happy with how it works, if she’s happy with how she does it that’s fine, there’s more than one way of doing things and we all have to find what works best for us and then stick to that and forget what everyone else is doing. But it still doesn’t work, I have to just try and ignore her now I think she’s jealous because she’s always been told that she can’t have puddings and sweet things, and then sees my daughter eating whatever she likes and getting better results into the bargain. But she doesn’t want to learn how it’s done, she could carb count like we do even on injections but sticks rigidly to her fixed doses and doesn’t want to know. Which is fine, but stop moaning then, either learn how to improve things yourself or stick to your favourite way and have the decency to let us do ours!

 

[Lucyr]

Is this to much I have tight control over my levels and my weight lose.

Yeah probably a bit too much, given your other health and mental health struggles I think you might be better to loosen up on the diabetes stuff and just go by the hba1c / let thestaff speak to diabetes team if have any problems with hypos that need adjusting. Your choice though, depends if what you’re doing is sustainable permanently or if it’s the reason you’ve had more mental health difficulties recently.

 

[helli]

None of us (or anyone else) can or should tell you how much is too much for you.
As mentioned at the top of every page of the forum, it says “everyone manages their health differently”.
For me, managing diabetes is a fine balance between giving diabetes enough attention and becoming obsessed by it.
I hope your MH support helps you work out what is the best balance for you.

 

[silver minion]

Hi Gail, as many people have said previously on this forum. Everyone is different and manage their diabetes in a way that works for them.
If you do have concerns, speak to your MH support team and the DN. As always feel free to post on the forum to give you some fresh perspective.

 

[Vonny]

4 years on from diagnosis and I still note down my carbs/cals and expended cals in a notebook. My partner thinks I'm a bit anal about it, but as I explained to him, it's the only way I can manage my healthy lifestyle. My life, my notebook! Do whatever make you feel comfortable x

 

[Tdm]

Seconded! Do what works for you

 

[victorhamesse]

I get that all the time from my mum

Sounds like the same as comments sometimes made re child rearing. My solution was to reply politely and then ignore.

 

[gail2]

Yeah probably a bit too much, given your other health and mental health struggles I think you might be better to loosen up on the diabetes stuff and just go by the hba1c / let thestaff speak to diabetes team if have any problems with hypos that need adjusting. Your choice though, depends if what you’re doing is sustainable permanently or if it’s the reason you’ve had more mental health difficulties recently.

my levels have nothing o do with my mental health issues

 

[Lucyr]

my levels have nothing o do with my mental health issues

The high level of focus on controlling diet and bgs has been proven to increase mental health difficulties in people with diabetes. So I’m not saying your levels affect your mental health but, you did start this thread to ask whether you are worrying too much about your diabetes. My answer is yes, you have a lot going on with physical health and mental health issues, you don’t need the current level of focus on managing diabetes too.

Reducing the amount of focus and control you try to have over diabetes should give you more brain space to focus on your other issues to give a better overall quality of life and health. You say your control is very good, you know what you can and can’t eat, so a little less focus wouldn’t affect your bg levels much.

 

[gail2]

wheres your proof to back this

The high level of focus on controlling diet and bgs has been proven to increase mental health difficulties in people with diabetes. So I’m not saying your levels affect your mental health but, you did start this thread to ask whether you are worrying too much about your diabetes. My answer is yes,

 

[Lucyr]

Just Google it there’s loads of evidence online. Here’s the Diabetes UK page. You started the thread asking for our opinions though, if you don’t want to hear my opinion and just want people to agree with you then don’t ask the question? You specifically asked whether you’re being too tight on your diabetes control and all I’ve given is my thoughts in response to your question.

Diabetes and your emotions

Diabetes doesn't just affect you physically, it can affect you emotionally too. Whether you've just been diagnosed or you've lived with diabetes for a long time, you may need support for all the emotions you're feeling. This could be stress, feeling low and depressed, or burnt out. The people...

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[mashedupmatt]

There are many factors that will affect your BG and stress and overthinking things can make it worse, agreed @Lucyr - This link will provide some more info: https://diatribe.org/diabetes-management/42-factors-affect-blood-glucose-surprising-update

 

[Sally71]

In answer to your original question Gail - you have to ask yourself why you are doing everything that you are doing. If you are doing it just because you think you should, or because your DSN told you to, but you aren’t doing anything with the information, then it’s a waste of time. However, if you find all these things useful in helping you to manage your diabetes, and it isn’t stressing you out, then there’s no reason that you shouldn’t carry on. It’s your diabetes, you have to manage it in whatever way works best for you and forget what everyone else is doing.
We used to write down everything that my daughter ate, with carb counts and so on, because that’s what we were told to do. For 10 years we carried this on; at first I think it was useful, especially while we were still learning everything, but eventually it just became a chore and I realised that we were never looking back at what we had written so I stopped doing it in the end. And I don’t miss it!

 

[Drummer]

For a few months I was checking and weighing, listing and comparing, worried by the effects of medication and how my mind and body had been affected - at the end of 6 months I found I was in normal numbers and not on any tablets for diabetes.
Eight years later all seems good, but who knows where I'd be if I'd not done my research?
Knowledge is power.

 

[lauramwatt]

I get that all the time from my mum, who has been T1 since before I was born. When my daughter was diagnosed, I explained to her how the pump works because I thought she was interested, but all we get is “you’re testing too often” and “puddings should be banned” and “you’re saying the only reason her HbA1c is better than mine is because she uses more insulin?” (That last one said in a very accusatory tone as if it’s somehow wrong.) Etc etc. I’ve tried dropping heavy hints that we’ve been taught a different way from her and we’re happy with how it works, if she’s happy with how she does it that’s fine, there’s more than one way of doing things and we all have to find what works best for us and then stick to that and forget what everyone else is doing. But it still doesn’t work, I have to just try and ignore her now I think she’s jealous because she’s always been told that she can’t have puddings and sweet things, and then sees my daughter eating whatever she likes and getting better results into the bargain. But she doesn’t want to learn how it’s done, she could carb count like we do even on injections but sticks rigidly to her fixed doses and doesn’t want to know. Which is fine, but stop moaning then, either learn how to improve things yourself or stick to your favourite way and have the decency to let us do ours!

Yeah I think this is quite a common experience for T1 diabetics sadly I remember having a sleepover when I was like 11 at my friend's house, and her step-dad was also T1 and said I wasn't allowed to have hot chocolate before sleeping and was really mean about it. That's really stuck with me for some reason As others have said, how we manage our diabetes is quite personal and it's not ever productive to tell someone how to regulate their own. There is also a fine line between that and giving some "well-meaning" advice, which I think some people fail to do. It's whatever works best for you.

Saying that @gail2 I've heard a few stories of people who are almost obsessive about their diabetes, checking their sugars constantly and not eating carbs at all out of fear of sugar level spikes. That's when I would perhaps want to intervene and give them some advice, as at that point it's affecting their wellbeing but I think the choice of words ("you worry too much") in this case is a bit unnecessary. It sounds what you're doing is perfectly fine, and works for you. If this person is close to you, it may be worth sitting down with them and having a conversation about the language you use with each other around diabetes and how their words upset you. I've had similar conversations with partners in the past and it's been really helpful. People don't realise the impact of their words sometimes.